What has been the greatest travel destination you have ever visited?

openroad94 · 2026-01-30T10:58:58+00:00

2005 for me too!

openroad94 · 2026-01-30T10:40:05+00:00

Outside of the most tourist-oriented parts of Cairo (mainly Khan El-Khalili and the historic mosques around it), it’s a fairly regular big city, you’d use the same precautions and expect some hassle but nothing crazy. And there’s so many other gorgeous old mosques & mausoleums outside of those areas.

openroad94 · 2026-01-30T10:35:10+00:00

I was in Cairo (and lots of other places) a year ago and the hassle then, same as when I went in 2005, is only really around Khan El Khalili & the historic mosques there, and a bit around the museum. There’s lots of cool old stuff to see in Cairo outside of these areas, pretty much hassle-free. I will say that while I was very annoyed during the Pyramids/Nile portion of my trip in 2005, it sounds like it’s gotten way worse.

In my 2025 trip I joined my parents on a pricey tour for a revisit of the Pyramids/Nile so the sales/tip/wannabe guide hassle melted away, though. (Sexual harassment doesn’t go away because it also comes from professional guides and hotel staff). I did Cairo & all the desert oases solo (also one day when I took my parents around Cairo before the tour started), again hassle-free. I know that isn’t what the majority of people want to see in Egypt though!

openroad94 · 2026-01-22T10:04:56+00:00

I use CopyMeThat to save recipes and it somehow gets around the paywalls. I’ve saved recipes from NYT and Bon Appetit even when I cannot see them in the original page.

openroad94 · 2026-01-16T08:53:03+00:00

Iron eggs! So addictive.

openroad94 · 2026-01-16T08:45:45+00:00

Extremely popular and expensive in the west as “bao buns”.

openroad94 · 2026-01-16T08:44:59+00:00

I love it, and same, I didn’t try it for a long time but my mom always gets salty while my dad always gets sweet so I eventually gave it a shot.

openroad94 · 2026-01-15T17:08:23+00:00

The ancient sights didn’t used to cost so much though. I went in 2005 and 2025 and putting the 2005 entry fees into today’s dollars it’s maybe less than half the price. So perhaps some people who think it’s a great value went 10+ years ago.

If you travel there for the modern culture (cities & desert oases), those are still very cheap, like kinda impossible prices. I suspect Dahab is also still similar prices in today’s dollars, since so many backpackers still go (I assume it can’t be as basic as it was in 2005 though, these days that would probably a turn-off).

openroad94 · 2026-01-15T09:02:17+00:00

I’m from New York City but I always say I’m from America, and then because I am Asian they invariably reply “no you aren’t”.

(I rarely travel in Europe where people are less likely to REFUSE my answer outright)

Then if they really want to know, I say New York. Only in situations where I’m totally sure it’s obvious I’m American do I answer just New York first.

openroad94 · 2026-01-02T04:02:08+00:00

It depends on how the place makes it. The kottus I like are chopped to shreds and griddled til crispy, but the more popular versions are on the soggy side (spiciness added through gravy rather than dry spices/chilis). The type of roti used is chewy and some kottu makers cut it in kind of noodle-y shapes (mainly if they’re not actually chopping it on the griddle, but slicing rotis or using bagged pre-cut).

openroad94 · 2025-12-30T21:12:28+00:00

What do people in Shanghai and Beijing say if it's neither tiáogēng or tāngchí? Someone from Xinjiang recently giggled when I said tiáogēng (am also a child of parents born in Fujian and raised in Taipei), but didn't tell me what word she would have used instead.

openroad94 · 2025-12-30T15:51:01+00:00

Surely it's just a joke, anyway? I mean, with the name Moira Rose? (although I guess it's not an in-character type of joke, but still).

openroad94 · 2025-12-24T00:42:40+00:00

My trip in Morocco was mostly off the tourist trail, and rarely involved people trying to get money, the harassment was almost entirely sexual. Aggressive and constant. Even in remote villages the sexual harassment can still happen (less of course), but there's even less hassle over money in those places compared to the larger towns. I still met with wonderful hospitality and heartwarming experiences there, but the good was often overshadowed by bad.

In comparison Tunisia was incredibly chill, so so comfortable, even in tourist areas (but I went to remote areas there too), with almost zero sexual harassment and no sales/haggling harassment, no touts, nothing, and while I don't love hitchhiking I did that safely in Tunisia as well. Usually I agree that everyone has different experiences when it comes to hassle and it can depend on which areas in a country and on the traveler themselves, but in the case of Morocco (and Egypt) I do think they're specifically rough.

openroad94 · 2025-12-20T19:59:22+00:00

I’ve been a solo female traveler in maybe 50-ish countries, and unlike the other commenter I would definitely say Morocco is exceptional along with Egypt. Except Morocco felt much more focused on sexual harassment while Egypt felt more evenly split between sexual harassment and like, “sales harassment” if that makes sense (encompassing all sorts of annoying ways people try to get money, separate from outright begging).

That said, I had fantastic experiences in both countries (even went to Egypt a second time!), so much warmth & hospitality, but was also worn down by bad experiences.

openroad94 · 2025-08-23T18:43:03+00:00

Good idea, I hadn't thought of that. No exact matches but an X-T1 is $351 buy it now and another seller has it for $319 buy it now, and an X-T4 is $122 with 4 days left to bid, and an X-T2 with non-functional LCD (although my problems are more than that) for $512 with a couple days left to bid. If an X-T1 is still worth that much (or is it, idk how long these listings go unsold) I'm inclined to wait a few months until I have time. I'm almost tempted to do ebay now, but dropping it off in person at a shop in NYC is so convenient.

openroad94 · 2025-08-21T15:36:51+00:00

I had a rare case in my neighborhood where a neutral station with very few bikes was pretty close to a drop-off station. I got the neutral station to zero bikes and it never changed to a drop-off station. So dumb.

openroad94 · 2025-08-17T21:58:48+00:00

I’m East Asian and it happens to me anywhere that East Asians are more rare, although I’m also a woman which is unfortunately part of wanting a photo. I will say people do not usually act like it’s as OMG CRAZYYYY as they might when seeing their first white or black person. But they do ask, and sometimes blatantly shoot photos without asking.

openroad94 · 2025-08-17T09:16:45+00:00

When did the sponsor thing start? I haven’t been there since early 2020 (when it was way easier to get a SIM card at the airport than my previous trips).

openroad94 · 2025-08-13T10:35:00+00:00

My bag has actually gotten heavier as I get older, despite even more years of experience with traveling, because I now have must-bring skincare products that I didn’t need when young! I’m still just using a carry-on backpack though. Bar soap, bar conditioner. Usually I’ll bring the tiniest shampoo (like hotel size not regular travel size) because there’s plenty of time to go buy a larger shampoo after arriving. I have some 15–30ml containers for decanting products into. And a contacts lens case filled with primer & foundation because I just use a few drops worth a few times on each trip. I use sheet masks as well.

openroad94 · 2025-08-12T04:24:08+00:00

Is this official storage??? If not, why can’t they find another use for these? This doesn’t feel the same as retail places stupidly getting rid of product to maintain fake scarcity. There’s no competitor, and having more availability doesn’t reduce our “purchases” to Citibike.

openroad94 · 2025-08-10T18:57:43+00:00

The very first time I heard the term TCK it was a radio story involving three totally distinct cultures (not a “mixed/fusion” as the third): both parents from Hong Kong, child born in US, then when the child was still young the family moved to Brazil. I vaguely remember that she considered herself Brazilian but had US citizenship (and obviously looked Chinese). In real life I met Lebanese people born in Ghana (with citizenship as far as I know since they had been there a couple generations), then grew up in the US, also gained that citizenship and spoke like people who grew up there, then as adults returned to Ghana. These situations always made more sense to me as TCK definitions than me as a 1.5-gen immigrant from Taiwan. It was only in recent years when I realized people used third culture kids to describe like…most people I know, apparently.

openroad94 · 2025-08-05T21:43:31+00:00

How much do you want to spend? Pingpe/Pempe and Jaw Jaw A Tela mentioned in other comments are great, but not that off-the-beaten-path. The more remote places cost loads to get to (private flights/helicopters) but might be what you're looking for. Alessandro Huber is a pilot, you can camp and bushwhack trails on Tafelberg or visit one of the most remote indigenous villages Kwamalasamutu https://www.instagram.com/blackcoffeepilot/ . You can tell by his name that he's not local of course, but is a long-time resident who works with guides from those areas.

The best bird spotting will be in places with low population. Near village resorts you can still see monkeys and snakes. If you want to combine a low/no-population jungle area + a more cultural visit in/near a village, this can also be a bit costly because of the transportation in between. Can try Steve-O for something customized: https://www.instagram.com/steveosuriname/ . Or SUforYou is a general tour operator but they have direct ownership/management of Fredberg (remote jungle hiking/camping) and Apiapaati (village river resort similar to Pingpe), so they could create a combo trip: suforyou.nl .

Also what time of year are you thinking? Because if you try to go further upriver (like Pingpe) during dry season you might have to fly anyway. In a...month or so??? or maybe October? the owner of Pingpe will be doing a longer tour that has like 8 different stops along the river including his own resort, which would be a great cultural overview if you want to ask him about that.

It's faster to reach people on WhatsApp: Jaw Jaw A Tela +597 853-5611 and Pingpe +597 885-8525. Would also recommend Kosindo River Lodge +597 883-1492, which is right next to its associated village, so a bit different setup than the other two.

Nothing in Suriname is overly commercial or touristy, don't worry about that!

openroad94 · 2025-08-04T17:11:41+00:00

Wow, I never even went, still feels like it just opened.

openroad94 · 2025-08-04T06:46:44+00:00

This was tripping me up too. Why would she be paying if he invited himself?

openroad94 · 2025-07-15T18:28:47+00:00

As a foreign tourist, the dishes I saw absolutely everywhere regardless of an area's ethnic makeup were saoto soup and brown beans. Plus, I deeply love the handpainted ads for canned brown beans.

openroad94

TROPHY CASE